Author Archives: VAN NAMBOODIRI

Walmart ready to enter India

17 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in Neo-liberal policy

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Walmart Stores Inc, the largest retail MNC, is preparing to enter India in a large way. It has been pressurising Indian government to open up the multi-brand retail sector. Now that the government has decided to allow 51% FDI in the above sector, Walmart and other multinational retail chains are going to enter the country to maximise their profit.

It will be the people and the retail traders who are going to lose and suffer. The anti-people policy of the government has to be opposed and defeated.

FDI in retail, aviation – Applause from US, India Inc

17 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in General

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As expected, the US has applauded the government of India for the increased FDI in aviation, 51% FDI in multi-brand retail trade etc. It congratulated India for the ‘Big Bang Reforms”. Indian big business has also heartily welcomed the decisions including the rise in price of diesel.

The government will be happy. It wants the applaud of the imperialists, the MNCs and the big business. It is not worried about the misery of the people. Is it aware of the strong protests by the people all over the country? Is it aware of the protests from not only the opposition parties, but its allies also?

A roll back of the prices can not be expected from this government. The only way is to protest strongly and continue sustained agitation against the anti-worker policies. The government should be taught a hard lesson.

Protest against austerity measures in Portugal

17 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in TU News - International

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More than one lakh people participated in the demonstrations in Portugal protesting against the austerity measures being implemented by the government. Massive protest demonstrations took place in Lisbon, the capital city and Porto, the next big city along with in other cities. They demanded withdrawal of the austerity measures and demanded restoration of social security measures. The crisis in European countries are continuing.

Country-wide protest action on 20th September against FDI, Price rise

15 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in Politics India

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The leaders of the Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Telugu Desam Party, Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal (S), All India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party have issued the following statement:
Nationwide Protest Day on September 20
 The UPA government has stuck cruel blows on the people one after another.
  It has raised the price of diesel by Rs. 5 per litre stoking price rise and burdening the farmers. It has limited the subsidised gas cylinder per family to six and the rest will have to be bought at the market price which is more than double. It has opened the multi-brand retail trade to foreign supermarket chains endangering the livelihood of more than four crore people occupied in retail trade and the mass of consumers. It is selling off shares of profitable PSUs and navaratna companies like NALCO and Oil India.
We appeal to the people to rise in protest against these anti-people measures.
We appeal to the farmers, workers, women and youth to join the protest.
We appeal to the transporters, shopkeepers and traders organisations to join the struggle.
We appeal to all sections of the people, all patriotic-minded citizens to join the movement.
Let us all unite to stop these measures which will further burden the people and ruin their livelihood.
Let there be a powerful protest on September 20 through hartals, pickettings, demonstrations and court arrest programmes.
 Sd/-
 Mulayam Singh Yadav, President, Samajwadi Party
H. D. Deve Gowda, President, Janata Dal (S)
Prakash Karat, General Secretary, CPI(M)
S. Sudhakar Reddy, General Secretary, CPI
Naveen Patnaik, President, BJD
Chandrababu Naidu, President, TDP
Debabrata Biswas, General Secretary, AIFB
T. J. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary, RSP

Illegal iron ore export – CBI registers 5 cases on SC demand

15 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in Corruption

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The CBI has registered five cases in connection with illegal iron ore export scam worth Rs 2500 crore and carried out searches at 17 locations, including in the premises of associates of jailed mining baron G Janardhan Reddy, today.
Acting on the orders of Supreme Court which asked the agency to probe the scam, the agency registered five cases and a preliminary enquiry against firms and exporters allegedly related with illegal mining and export of nearly 50 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore from Belekeri port in Karnataka.
The agency carried out searches at 17 locations in Bangalore, Karwar, Hospet and Goa.
A 10-member CBI team searched the houses of Karapudi Mahesh, Swastik Nagaraj and Somasekhar, who runs a transport firm, all aides of Reddy, as per media reports.

It seems that the CBI register corruption cases against big guns only after the intervention of Supreme Court.

Govt. declare war on people – nothing but a surrender to US dictacts

15 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in Neo-liberal policy

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The decisions of the cabinet yesterday on PSU’s stake sale, increase in FDI of multi-sector retail and Aviation sector, increase in the price of diesel and limiting supply of LPG cylinders are all nothing but a declared war on the people of India. The PSU stake sale is a gift of the nation’s wealth to the MNCs and India Inc.  Increase in FDI means surrendering the financial independence of the country to the MNCs on whose behalf the US and other imperialist countries have been pressurizing India continuously. Increasing the price of diesel and limiting supply of LPG cylinders to 6 in a year to a family will increase the misery of the people.

This challenge thrown by the government has to be taken squarely taken by the opposition parties, even allies in the UPA, the trade unions in the country, social organisations and all those who support the common people. The protest demonstrations and the bandh in some states to-day in the right direction. This has to be increased and a country-wide stormy action to be planned and implemented giving a direct hit to the UPA government and its future.

BSNL connecting youth campaign

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in BSNL News

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The decision of the BSNL management to organise campaign to connect the youth with BSNL services is a good idea. Tests will be conducted in connection with BSNL Day on 1st October 2012 and the winners will be suitably rewarded. Kindly go through BSNL website for the full copy of the order.

Government approves stake sale in 4 PSUs to raise Rs. 15,000 crore

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in PSU

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PSUs are on sale! The family silver is being gifted to India Inc. Aggressive implementation of neo-liberalisation policy.

The government today approved sale of its minority stakes in four public sector firms — Hindustan Copper, Oil India, MMTC and Nalco– to raise up to Rs 15,000 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has, however, not taken any decision on disinvestment of Neyveli Lignite, that was also on the agenda.
The government has approved the proposal to sell 10 per cent stake in Oil India Ltd and another 9.59 per cent disinvestment in Hindustan Copper Ltd, sources said.
Further, the CCEA also cleared the proposal of 12.15 per cent stake sale of Nalco and 9.33 per cent in MMTC through Offer for Sale (OFS) route.
However, the 5 per cent stake sale of Neyveli Lignite was not taken up by the CCEA, sources added.

Protest Cabinet decision to increase FDI in Multi- Brand retail

14 Friday Sep 2012

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The feeling of the common people always has been that the government is completely under the control of the corporates and the big business. The perception in once again got confirmed by the latest decision of the central government to increase the FDI in Multi-brand retail sector.

The move of the government to increase the FDI in multi-brand retail was opposed not only by the opposition parties but also by the UPA allies also. The bill on FDI could not be passed in the Parliament due to the strong opposition and the government unable to get the required numbers. Now that the Parliament session is over, the government without any sham has decided to increase the FDI. This decision will have serious adverse effect on the crores of retail trades in the country as also the people who depend upon them. The present decision will only help the MNCs like Walmart and the big business in India. Strong protest should erupt against this anti-people and undemocratic decision.

Diesel price hike and restriction on LPG – Retrograde and anti-people

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Price Rise

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The decision of the central government to increase the diesel price by Rs. 5 per litre and the restriction that only one LPG Cylinder will be given in two months is another attack on the people.  While the people are already under heavy strain due to the rocketing prices of essential commodities, the present decision will only increase the misery of the aam admi. The government has also deciding for deregularisation of the prices of petroleum products, which will see another steep rice in prices.

The Left parties and the BJP has strongly protested the hike. CPI(M) has demanded  that this retrograde step should be immediately withdrawn. Not only the opposition parties, but even those parties like Trinamool Congress and SP have strongly opposed the hike. In many states protest demonstration has taken place with the effigy of the PM put on fire by the demonstrations.

The argument of the government is that the oil companies are in loss and the price is hike can not be avoided. But the following report published in certain papers exposes the government’s plea:

“The ONGC declared a net profit of Rs 25,123 crore for the year 2011-12. For the next quarter ending June 30, 2012, it has reported a further growth in profit of 48.4 per cent . The IOC has reported a net profit of Rs 4,265.27 crore for 2011-12.     “The Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) reported a net profit of Rs 911 crores. Interestingly,  for the last quarter of the fiscal, January-March 2012, its net profit increased by 312 per cent. The Bharat Petroleum has reported a net profit of Rs. 1,546.68 crore”.

All the people should come together to defeat this anti-people decision of the government.